The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-05-21
GALLANT o,BRIEN.
He Speaks at Kingston and has a
Narrow Escape.
An Angry Mob of orangemen Try to
Kill Him.
Offered but Little Protection by the
Police.

| left for Kingston at 1875 o'clock this after
| noon. Large crowds assembled at the Rus
| sell House to see them depai t,iand were ac-
companied to the train by deputation from
the local branch of the league. The agita-
tors have experienced no unpleasantness Of
any kind since arriving Joseph Conolly.
the Boston pugilist, who attempted last night
to assault young man who proposed three
cheers for Lansdowne was this morning
fined. $50 and costs, or three weeks
in jail
KINGSTON, Ont, May 20.-A large crowd
assembled at the railroad station when the
train bearing the Irish agitatators arrived.
Nota dissenting voice was heard in the
storm of cheers that greeted IO'Brien as he
appeared and entered carriage. He was
accompanied by a deputation of prominent
citizens who met him at Sharbot Lake. fifty
miles from here. The party was driven to
the Burnett House, on Ontario street, where
crowd assembled and eheered the editor of
United Ireland. Among the first to shake
O'Brien's hand were w. d. Morris. ofgOtta-
wa, Protestant, and Cameron, of the Des-
eronto Orangemen. Battery A of Dominion
Regular Artillery Corps was held in readi-
ness fully armed and equipped at Lete du
Pont barracks, Ontario street, Fourteenth
lfrnces OF Wales own rifies,l was massed at
the dill shed on Union street, under COM
mand of Major Henry Smith, besides large
force OF special constables sworn in to aid
the ordinary police force, on arrival at the
skating rink where meeting held a crowd,
all OBrien sympathizers. Policemen armed
with revolvers stole noiselessly up and down
under the shady trees which line the street
and forbade anVbQdV tn hl0aK the pntra N 20
to the hall. Nobody attempted to do it. The
audience assembled numbered 12C0, many
women, all listened attentively. They are
well dressed and intelligent looking. When
OBrien stepped upon the platform, pretty
little girl presented him with a bouquet and
address in behalf of the Catholic children of
the city. j. j. Behan, chairman, read an ad-
dress of welcome to Derry of Canada"
OBrlen In his opening remarks won at once
the Ulster Protestants, who were listening
and who form large section of the popula-
tlon, when he asserted the Orange farmers
IN North Ireland were as much oppressed as
the Catholic farmers, and LansdOwne was
champi9ning the cause. of those despotic
landlords who were causing this oppression.
My mission" he exclaimed, sis not to stir
up strife, but to blend the orange and green"
1nls sentiment at once won over the hardy
and lndependant descendants of Ulster farm
ers, and they cheered now as heartily as any
body else, and again when he said ''We will
MS murderous policy in Ireland as to make
the Orangemen as well as Nationalists at
last believe that there is only Que Lord, He
who rules above the stars.
Continuing. Mr.. O'Brien said: 81 believe
that the few Misunderstanding which have
arisen between Protestant and Catholic
Irishmen of Canada will soon pass away
Thank God, they are rapidly passing away
and lcould not nelp thinking when / heard
today that Kingston was known as the Derry
n rhalac M
name of good omen" (applause) for in the
words of an old song today DERRY is our
own boys" Bringing cheers.) The member
from Derry, is Justin Mccarthy, one of the
noblest Irish Nationalist living. Renewed
cheers) believe the day is rapidly coming
round when these prejudices will pass away
In spite of all the efforts of iandlordism to
keep these smouldering embers in fame. |
am convinced the time is coming fast when
Protestant farmers will admit with grateful
they enjoy is due to the struggles of the
National League in Ireland" (applause)
and the fight which we are waging here to-
day,s not in behalf of the Catholics or Prot
estants but in behalf of the whole Irish peo-
pie, to enable them to live on the land that
gave them BIRTH loud applause.)
Referring to the negotiations between
Lord Lansdowne Mr.. O'Brien said Lord
Lansdowne has only to go back to the COM
promise offered the Cuggacurran tenants by
his own agents, and we shall be satisfied.
We were only too anxious to accept them
when they were offered first. He has only
today, at the eleventh hour, to say the word
and carry out the agreement which his own
agent made, and tomorrow morning we leave
for Ireland without harsh thought towards
Lansdowne in our hearts. (Applause.)
The unexpected and somewhat ominous
calm was now for the first time broken. 1t
was 9.30 O'Clock when Dennis Kilbride be-
gan his statement. iThen the first noise was
heard outside the building, where several
hundred men and floys had collected crying
"G0d save the Queon," and groaning for
O'Brien.
Every cheer that went up inside was ans
wered by loud roar in angry response from
without. The crowd outside swelled to inn
was brought to an end by few remarks
from the chairman, S. j. Behan, who told
the audience to go home peaceably. .O' Brien's
friends hurried him to the front. He step
ped on to the wooden sidewalk, wearing the
usual tall hat. The moment the orangemen
on the opposite side of the street saw him,
they made q savage yell of vengeance, and
with cries of "There he is," rushed across
the street. Broken stones and cobblestones
began flying like hail. Women screamed
and general confusion reigned.
"Ah! they're at it again." said 0'Brien, in
tone OF mournful regret more than anger
"Yes," ''yes," roared the mob, there he
is; drag him out here on the street; kill him;
choke him; tear him asunder;" and they al
most burst through O'Brien's body guard
which consisted of American correspondents
and tile local officers of the National League
A man changed hats with O'Brien, as that
worn by the latter had furnished target for
the mob, and as the party doubled into Wei
lington street, another shower of bricks and
broken stones came crashing through the
crowd. O'Brien and his friends bent their
heads, but received the missiles ON the body.
O'Brien took refuge in the house of John
Newran. "a Protestant, on Medway street,
and the door was shut and barred. His
friends rushed around to the rear of the
house, but were Intercepted by the mob, and
were forced to flee for their lives.
The mob next rushed to the Burnett
House, thinking O'Brien was there, shcsting:
ITO hell with homerule. Kill him." &c.
Although O'Brien was not there they fired
volleys of stones at the windows, then
groaned, and yelled to their hearts content
The office of the Canadian Freeman, the
Irish Catholic organ on Brock street was
wrecked.
Two hours had elapsed since the first at
tack and nobody knew where O'Brien was,
but he was soon discovered Peter DeVin,
who lives on the corner of Wellington and
Williams streets, stole down to the Chief of
Police Horsey and said: "O'Brien's safe
with me-"
THANK God," exclaimed the crowd.
Chief Horsey with Mayor Carson, six po-
licemen and William Hardy of the locomo-
tive works then went to Devlin'S house and
brought back O'Brien to the Burnett House.
The latter reached Devlin's house in this
way. An alley way near Newman afforded
shelter, just as Maurice Hogan hadlchanged
hats with O'Brien, just as a stone hadistruck
O'Brien in the back of the neck, just as a
big powerful Orangeman with a club was 90
ing to cleaye open his skull. O'Brien got into
house and was finally smuggled backward
to Devlin's house while the Orange mob out
side were crying for his blood.
The Mayor offered O'Bren protection, but
he declined it, saying he thought it rather
late for that. The police behaved during
ronto. O'Brien and party will start tomor-
row morning for Hamilton, where q meeting
will be held Monday. He will spend Sunday
at Niagara Falls.
NOTHING NEW.